Our research focuses on the synthesis of novel, biodegradable polymers to be used as polymeric controlled release systems. These drug delivery systems can enhance the efficacy of conventional pharmaceuticals, alleviate immunological responses from the host, and reduce biological inactivation of the therapeutic agent. The polymeric materials described here present an alternative to the costly development of new pharmaceutical agents. Biodegradable polymers are desirable for drug delivery systems as they obviate the need for eventual surgical removal. These dendritic polymers will be characterized by traditional organic and polymer techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy (for chemical composition), mass spectrometry (for molecular weight and purity), gel permeation chromatography (for molecular weight), and differential scanning calorimetry (for thermal properties).